Effect of Environment

One of the themes of the book is the effect of environment on people and how people react to the environment. Che grew up in a comfortable apolitical environment. His family wasn't very interested in politics and his father was always on the sidelines of various events and not a major player. His father went from one failed business venture to another which is what gave Che his desire to succeed. As Che traveled around Latin America, he was exposed to the economic and social effects of imperialism. He looked at the resulting poverty and living conditions of the people and came to hate imperialism and wanted to do something to change those conditions and help people achieve better lives. He found the answers in Marxism and socialism in which he was self-taught. Nobody set out to indoctrinate Che and convert him to Marxism.

The environment...